April 14, 2010, 4:53 PM — In the two months since Oracle absorbed Java pioneer Sun Microsystems, Java developers are not losing sleep over how Oracle has been handling the Java technology franchise, although they have some concerns. Last week's resignation of Java creator James Gosling, and his comment that "just about anything I could say that would be accurate and honest would do more harm than good," resurfaced those fears.
Still, by and large, Java developers that InfoWorld has spoken to are content with Oracle's stewardship thus far.
[ Among dramas unfolding around the Oracle takeover of Sun is the fate of JavaFX technology, which must wade deep competitive waters. | Relive the rise and fall of Sun Microsystems in our slideshow. ]
- "They're keeping things moving in the right direction" and listening to the Java community, says Blaise Lapinski, a senior solutions architect at call center technologist Convergys.
- "I don't have concerns" about Oracle taking over Java, says Ryan Winger, a software engineer at United Services Automobile Association. "I think Java will still thrive."
- "I haven't noticed a difference" since Oracle took over, says Tim Morrow, a senior architect at comparison shopping site Shopzilla. "We're actually a pretty big Oracle shop, and we're kind of bought into them," he notes.
- "I don't worry about what Oracle's going to do with [Java]," says Zahir Masud, a senior developer for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. There are so many developers leveraging Java, it would be to Oracle's disadvantage to consider closing the platform at this point, he adds.
What concerns developers about Oracle's Java stewardshipBut some developers confide that they have or have had reservations.
"Oracle's been a good contributor to the Java community for a while, so I'm hoping [Oracle's Sun takeover] is not really that impactful -- but it still remains to be seen," says Frank Maritato, director of infrastructure services and a Java developer at AT&T Interactive.
"When I first heard [of the merger], I was very concerned," says Elliott Baron, an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto. "I use OpenJDK [Java Development Kit] on my machine, so it would have very big implications if they were to shut down OpenJDK and we were just stuck with proprietary Java," Baron says. Oracle, however, has given no indication of doing anything like this, he notes.
"From all the news that I've read, Oracle's been very good with [Java and Sun technologies] so far," Baron says. Still, doubts linger. Oracle's actions thus far are "alleviating some of my concerns but it's still sort of in the back of my mind," he notes. One area he's watching is Oracle plans to merge the JRockit and HotSpot Java Virtual Machines, with the question of how that will turn out.
Another developer cited the uncertainty that has arisen from the acquisition. "It's mostly concern because it's uncertainty," says Noel Kutuyev, a senior architect and Java developer for Innovis, which provides business-to-business services. Kutuyev says he has not seen any issues arise with Oracle's stewardship of Java technologies since the merger closed, but fears the company could limit options eventually.
Oracle's ownership of Java technologies thus far simply has meant a rebranding on Java technology Websites, says Jeremy Deane, a principal at Collaborative Consulting, indicating a continuation of that technology largely as is. However, Deane says the Java language itself is perhaps not the wave of the future, now that other languages, such as JRuby, run on the Java virtual machine.
Gosling's departure raises questions but not surpriseDevelopers were not surprised by Gosling's departure earlier this month from Oracle. Gosling, a holdover from Sun Microsystems, had served briefly as CTO of client software for Oracle.
